"Captain Ramon, is there anything you want me to do? Rocky asked when he walked up to the captain.
"I want you to keep tabs on the spiritual beasts assigned to pull carriages. You should also monitor their
daily routines, such as eating, drinking, and defecating. It is important to serve them well." Ramon
provided precise instructions.
"I understand your point, Captain Ramon," Rocky answered with a look of total respectability.
As soon as the other disciples of the Cloudlet Team heard this, they immediately laughed in whispers.
None of them wanted to take on such an arduous task. It wasn't easy serving the spiritual beasts.
But for Rocky, the job couldn't have been easier.
An hour later, Rocky, the guard team, and the rigged wagons had gathered at the city gate, with Ramon
in the lead.
Shortly after that, Hannah appeared before everybody. Her presence compelled every disciple of the
guard team to covet her.
"Despite her charm, she is not as pretty as Alyssa and Marcia," Rocky whispered with a feeling of
indifference.
With Rocky positioned at the furthest end of the formation, Hannah failed to notice his presence. She
made her way straight to the carriage that Ramon would personally drive.
After that, the guards set out on a long journey. They left Sword Spirit City and headed for the Grand
Sky City, about twenty miles away.
It was almost dark when the guard team arrived at Grand Sky City.
Although there were still some minutes left before nightfall, Grand Sky City looked lively and radiant
with the evening lights already on. The bustling crowd of people made it seem like daytime.
Upon their arrival at the city gate, the guard team followed direct orders to stay outside and stand
watch, while Hannah and Ramon entered the city after informing the gate guards of their identities.
Shortly after that, Ramon went out first to face the disciples on the guard team and said, "The ethereal
crystals are all set for transport. Everybody needs to get around fast and transfer all the ethereal
crystals into the carriage. When all is ready, we will head off to Sword Spirit City at night."
"Captain, don't you usually spend the night here?"
"That's true, and this trip is no easy one for me. Initially, I planned to check out the city's most famous
brothel."
The disciples on the watch team complained at once.
"It was Miss Hannah's order," Ramon said sternly.
The disciples of the guard team shook their heads in dissatisfaction and sighed heavily. Then they
entered the gate and came back at once, carrying boxes of ethereal crystals and placing them directly
on the wagons.
Because Rocky's particular job was to care for the spiritual beasts, he didn't have to help carry the
crystals.
After loading all the wagons, Hannah promptly emerged with a man who resembled the Grand Sky
Sect's official.
"You didn't need to come all this way to see me go," Hannah said to the man who walked her out.
"Be extra careful out there, Miss Hannah!" the man said as he cupped his hands.
Hannah nodded her head and climbed onto the carriage at once.
Soon the guard team departed and took the same path as they had come here. After they had left the
city, they hurried toward Sword Spirit City.
"Miss Hannah, why are you so anxious to return to Sword Spirit City? The Robber Regiment roams
through the darkness, and they could easily take advantage of us." At that point, Ramon turned around
and asked why they were in such a rush.
"I just got word a couple of days ago. It mentioned that certain sects and clans had secretly entered an
agreement with the Robber Regiment and had even sold them information, which is why the robbers
are out of control. Once they have succeeded in looting the victims, those who sell them information
will share the stash," Hannah whispered after she pulled back the gauze curtain.
"Miss Hannah, do you think the Grand Sky Sect has anything to do with this?" Ramon asked directly,
his eyes narrowing into slits.
"I can't say that, especially without any hard evidence. However, the other day, there was a theft
incident when the ethereal crystals were taken back from Grand Sky City. Thus, I'm having doubts
about it!" Hannah's tone grew serious.
"Oh! If so, why haven't you asked the leader to send forces at the King Realm to protect the crystals?
That way, it would be heavily guarded," Ramon couldn't resist asking.
"The Grand Sky Sect might become skeptical if I did that. They might not sell us ethereal crystals the
next time'. replied Hannah, shaking her head.
"But if we rush back into the night, isn't that tantamount to diving straight into the trap?" Ramon asked
almost immediately.
"I'd like to confirm my assumption to get to the bottom of things! If we do that, we can watch out ahead
of time," Hannah responded. It just proved that she could be prudent.
"But it's a huge risk to take. Losing ethereal crystals is only a small thing, but if lives are at stake, it's
not worth it." Ramon voiced out his concern. After all, this was no laughing matter.
"Calm down. The Robber Regiment usually just steals cargo and doesn't hurt people, so I'm not going
to be in danger. But, of course, I'm not going to let them walk away with the ethereal crystals. I had
developed the plan." As it turned out, Hannah had already prepared for the danger ahead.
"Then the plan is..." Ramon watched Hannah, awaiting her reply.
"I speculated that the Robber Regiment might ambush in the Night-wolf Gorge area. So once we get
there, I want you to take every ethereal crystal together with the Spiritual Treasure Sachet and send it
back to the city first." While she was talking, she immediately pulled out a very rare Spiritual Treasure
Sachet and showed it to him.
Both the Spiritual Treasure Sachet and the Beast Spirit Jade were invaluable treasures. The Beast
Spirit Jade was capable of holding spiritual beasts, and the Spiritual Treasure Sachet was for storing
things of a certain weight.
"No way! How's that supposed to work? I must remain here for your protection, Miss Hannah. You
might as well send another guard to do that." Ramon was quick to object.
"No, it has to be you! Over the next three months, this batch of ethereal crystals will serve as a
significant resource for our sect. I'm sure you know how vicious the competition among different sects
and clans is now, and those ethereal crystals could help cultivate many warriors. For that reason, our
sect will weaken by half unless we take these back. Although we're a major force, we're still unable to
compete with those well-known sects and clans, not to mention the countless sects and clans that
chase us. So we can't slack off," Hannah said gravely.
"How about you come back with me, Miss Hannah? I can keep you from getting hurt. I have to make
sure you're safe." Ramon did not hesitate to suggest.
"No, the Robber Regiment has already taken us as targets since we left Grand Sky City. If we both left,
they might figure out what we're up to. We can't take any risk." Hannah shook her head vehemently
and insisted that she stayed.
"But Miss Hannah..." Ramon wanted to say more.
"This is an order! Go ahead and get ready!" Hannah's face got serious, and she had a sharp tone.
"Fine. I'm going to make a run for it as soon as I can, but I will be back and bring back up to help you
defeat the Robber Regiment," Ramon said. He knew he couldn't convince Hannah after she had made
up her mind. All he could do was abide by her orders and bring the reinforcements back with him.
"For God's sake, do it." Hannah handed Ramon the Spiritual Treasure Sachet.
Ramon stowed it away at once. He had the carriage driven by another disciple and ordered the deputy
captain to command the team and oversee everything else.
As they approached the Night-wolf Gorge, Ramon commanded the team to halt and rest for some time.
Simultaneously, he silently snuck beside the wagons and sucked up the ethereal crystals inside the
boxes straight into the Spiritual Treasure Sachet.
At that time, Rocky, who was feeding the spiritual beasts, drew near to him quickly.
"Captain, what are you doing?" Rocky asked as he squinted.
"Stay out of this. It doesn't have anything to do with you." Ramon stopped what he was doing and fixed
his gaze at Rocky.
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